Naa's 105-pounders Regrouped To Capture Second Straight Title

January 11, 1990|by JACK LAPOS, The Morning Call

When the Northampton Athletic Association 105-pound team won the Suburban Youth Football League's divisional and overall titles in 1988, head coach Rick Spangler just did not figure the boys would come back this past fall to repeat as champions.

They did and it goes without saying that Spangler was indeed surprised -- and obviously delighted.

"After our first one or two scrimmages in preparing for the 1989 season my assistant coaches and I knew there really was a long road ahead because the squad did not look very impressive at that time of the season," he said the other day.

"What made the situation gloomier was the fact that our leading runner Matt Groller was sidelined because of a summer mishap," Spangler continued.

"We went into the league schedule without a preseason exhibition game and thus were a bit shaky in that first test which we lost to 1988 runner-up Saucon Valley," the head coach said.

"Then we regrouped, put things together properly and went on to beat our next nine opponents as our squad worked hard and continued to show improvement."

One of the factors in the comeback was the return of Groller in mid-September. The team was lifted by Matt's presence and inspiration and thus was unbeatable the rest of the way, the head coach said.

So the team wound up with a 9-1 record in 1989 to put its two-season double-championship mark at 19-1.

As things turned out in 1989, Groller was the squad's leading scorer with 20 touchdowns. Other key backs last autumn were second-leading scorer Ryan Gumlock, Ronnie Marx, Eric Spadt and alternates Mark Sherman and Jason Eckhart. All of these boys also played on defense.

The leading figures in the offensive line were two-year starter at center Kyle Davis, guards Corey Cole and Shawn Balf, tackles Jamie Steffie and Jared Bundra and ends Matt Makovsky and Jim Groller, a distant relative of Matt Groller. Alternate linemen who played well included Jim Haas, Mike Fleming, Darren Weaver and Gregg Smith.

"Our offense was based on a wish-bone attack that featured mostly running," the head coach said. "We used a lot of counters and power plays but we also did some passing usually at a short distance."

Spangler said the team on defense concentrated on stopping rivals' running attacks with a variety of formations used to keep opponents guessing. The leader of the defense was linebacker Marx, who was a valuable starter the past two seasons.

"The toughest game toward the end of the season was our playoff game with Lower Nazareth as we won by an 18-6 score despite their having an excellent running attack led by a kid named Moser," Spangler noted. "Matt Groller picked up an errant lateral and went 65 yards for a touchdown and that broke open the game."

In the final contest at Catasauqua's Alumni Field, Northampton A.A. gained a 19-10 victory over North Parkland on a solid team effort highlighted by Gumluck's 70-yard kickoff return. He scored another touchdown when the team used Northampton's famed short punt formation to its advantage.

When all was said in done in 1989, the team had registered 227 points to its opponents' 68. In the all-winning 1988 season Northampton A.A. tallied 241 to its opponents' 36. Spangler said "line coach and defensive coordinator Lenny Cowitch always told our players to think positively of themselves and play to the best of their ability (and win if possible). I think this has shown in our program the past two seasons.

"Our organization is very fundamental in its approach to youth football," the head coach continued. "We also try to provide a good learning experience while the boys are playing in our organization."

"The 1989 125-pound team also made it to the championship game only to lose to North Parkland in a 14-6 heartbreaker which saw a number of opportunities get away."

Spangler sees an equally good future for his 105-pound team at its level and it should continue to supply good players to the Northampton High School program.

"We want all our players to be aware of the importance of doing well in the classroom as well as on the field," the head coach said. "It makes for a well-rounded athlete and I think this is something a program such as ours should be all about."